


Draft Day

by SkeletonGirl89



Series: I Left My Heart In Ontario [3]
Category: Hockey RPF, Los Angeles Kings RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-19 17:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11317800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkeletonGirl89/pseuds/SkeletonGirl89
Summary: The 2028-2029 NHL season had just ended, with the Montréal Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup and it was Draft Day. Every guy from the age of 17 to 18 was waiting for their chance to be drafted to an NHL team. For 18-year-old Craig Doughty, life's a little easier when your part of a Los Angeles Kings Dynasty of Defenseman.





	Draft Day

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of an unfinished series but can be a stand-alone story.

If you grew up playing hockey and had a devotion to the sport you know what Draft Day is. Whether it's to rebuild a team, to get a number one draft pick onto a roster just to show the big leagues in the industry, or to say that you can also play with the big boys.

18-year-old Craig Doughty has wanted to play in the NHL since the first time he ever saw his Uncles on the ice.  He was 2 years old and saw then skating down the ice and passing the puck and getting a goal while his grandfather corrected them on the right way to do something. Craig has been in the OHL for a few years and was considered one of the best in the league. His dad Drew had always told him that if you work hard to get where you are you will achieve great things. His dad was 39, had won three Stanley Cups and was still playing hockey. It was his dad's last year in the league and he was hoping to spend it playing some amazing hockey with him. His dad had been a King his whole career and he hoped to have the same. To stay with a franchise until he could no longer play the sport he loved so much.

Craig took the bus to the arena with all of the other guys entering the draft. He sat alone, remembering hearing his dad say something about how every great hockey player has a tradition or superstition before a game. His dad always put on his right shoe and then left then tied them in the same order. Craig didn't think much of it until he was in juniors and then that changed. He started having his mom make him the same dinner the night before a game and then had the same morning routine and it never changed.

Today was different. Craig didn't drive to the rink at 7 am to get more ice time now that he didn't have school. Today he woke up in a bed that wasn't his. His dad always said that being on the road was hard. Being away from his family was hard. He remembers when he was younger asking his mom when his dad would be home. She would always say a few days and he would be home when she said he would be, sometimes earlier than when she thought but that was always a great surprise. His dad said that although he had his teammates it wasn't the same as going home to his family.

He was meeting his parents there. Craig knew from an early age that his family was a little different. Sure he looked like nothing like his dad, he asked his mom why and both his parents sat down with him and told him why. The man who raised him, who taught him everything he knew on the ice and off wasn't really his father. Craig didn't care that his younger brother and sister where only his half-siblings, he still loved his family all the same.

Craig had a legacy to live up to, set first by his grandfather and now his dad. Hockey was in his blood. When he got to the arena he had found his parents and sat with him. The first thing his dad asked was," You nervous?"

He just nodded and his dad smiled that grin that his mom loved to death and said, "It's alright, you should be."

His dad told him it was between him and some other NHL players son to go first in the first round. His dad kept who was picking first to himself and his mom didn't even know.

He saw all of the guys he would one day play with or against and honestly couldn't wait for the next minutes to hours to pass by.

When the announcer went up it was a combination of boos and happy cheers. He talked for a little while before he heard the words he was waiting for. "The first selection of the 2029 NHL draft belongs to the Los Angeles Kings."

Craig just looked at his dad who was saying something to his mom. If he got picked first he would play this season with his dad, his dad's last season as a King on the ice would be his first. What a way to pass the torch.

He saw the owner of the Kings along with their GM and other guys go up the stage.

He waited until they started to talk. "On behalf of the Los Angeles Kings organization, we would like to thank the City of Edmonton. We would also like to thank our fans in Los Angeles, California watching either at home or at a draft viewing party. With the first selection in the 2029 Entry Draft, the Los Angeles Kings are proud to welcome from the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm, Craig Doughty."

After the words left his mouth Craig could feel like he just took a puck to the gut in a good way. He got up and walked to his mom, who hugged him and then his dad, who had a big smile on his face and just said, "Congrats son."

He walked up the stage after collecting his hat and put the jersey with his last name on it. He shook hands all around and took a few pictures.

They got him off the stage and a female reporter came up to him. "So Craig how does it feel to be drafted number one?"

"It's a great honor, not just because of the team I got drafted to. 21 years after my dad was drafted to the same team, and to go number one in the first round is amazing. Along with my grandfather and both of my uncles. Being a King is in my blood and I hope to make my family proud."

"What about your mom, what does she think of all of this?"

"My mom has always believed in me and supported me. Her and my dad both. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Craig knew he had a legacy to live up to and he planned to fulfill it.

Drew's P.O.V.

It was a few minutes after Craig got his jersey and had walked off the stage and a reporter came up to talk to me. "I'm here with three-time Stanley Cup Champion and two-time Norris-winner; Drew Doughty. How do you feel that your son just got drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Kings?"

"This is my first draft here since my own and I know it's not going to be my last. I'm very happy for him. He has shown what I knew he had in him, not just to me but the league. He has wanted this moment and has worked hard for it for as long as I can remember. Craig is an amazing player and is going to bring a lot the sport. I can't wait to see him accomplish those things in a Kings jersey and I couldn't be more proud."

"Would you say that you see a lot of you in him?"

"Yeah, I see the determination he has when he's on the ice. Even from an early age, he showed a love for the game. He has shown great leadership in his few years in the OHL. As someone who was in the league, I taught him everything I could about the game. He has his whole career ahead of him and I can only hope that he can succeed and make this family proud both on the ice and off."

I couldn't be more proud of Craig, I remember seeing him on the ice when he was five and just thinking that he had some great potential. Through the years to help him get here has been a great journey that is something really special. To be the person who helped him get here, even if I wasn't always there to cheer him on. I know he will do some great things in hockey and I'm happy that he can call me dad with no regrets.


End file.
